Certain articles of luggage, and in particular such items characterized as garment bags, allow for the packing and transport of articles of clothing suspended from hangers of more or less conventional design. The use of such luggage is well appreciated by the public, as it allows the items packed therein to be transferred to the luggage directly from a closet without the necessity for removal from a hanger and folding; allows the items to be transported within the luggage in a more natural position, free from much of the folds and wrinkles that would otherwise be created; and allows the articles to be subsequently removed and again passed directly to a closet at the end of travel.
Such garment bags usually have a means for supporting the hangers in position. Often such means is in the form of a rack or bar extending across the depth of the bag. The construction of such racks, however, often leaves much to be desired. The hangers are not effectively restrained upon the rod, and the jostling of the luggage that often occurs during travel results in the dislodging of the hangers from the rack or bar and the resultant disarray of the garments hung thereon. In addition, it is often difficult or inconvenient to place the hangers on the rod or to remove the hangers from the rod.
In an effort to eliminate this problem, special hangers have been provided in which the hook portion is pivotable to a latched position in which it clamps on to the support bar, and an unlatched position in which the hook is conventionally mounted on a closet support bar. However, these hangers also leave much to be desired. For example, the use of such special hangers required the suits or gowns, as the case may be, to be transferred from regular hangers to the special hangers and back again at the end of the trip. Aside from the added inconvenience of transferring clothing from one hanger to another, there is an increased probability of creasing the garments. Moreover, it has been found that in transit the hook portions tend to pivot and unlatch from the support bar thereby permitting the clothing to crumple within the garment bag.